principality · British Isles
Principality of Wales
Origins
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Llywelyn the Great, made Gwynedd dominant in Wales, and at Aberdyfi in 1216 the other Welsh rulers accepted his overlordship. His grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd took the title Prince of Wales, which Henry III recognised in the Treaty of Montgomery in 1267.
Rule and society
The principality was a feudal overlordship over lesser Welsh lords such as those of Powys Fadog and Powys Wenwynwyn. Its princes ruled from Gwynedd's courts, including Aber Garth Celyn, and used Welsh law, stone castles such as Dolwyddelan and a growing chancery.
Decline and legacy
Llywelyn's refusal to do homage to Edward I led to war in 1277, and a revolt begun by his brother Dafydd in 1282 ended in conquest. He was killed near Cilmeri in 1282, and his brother Dafydd executed in 1283. The Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284 annexed the principality to the Kingdom of England.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Powys Fadog was a vassal of Principality of Wales1258 CE – 1277 CE
- Principality of Wales was a vassal of Kingdom of England1267 CE – 1282 CE
- Principality of Wales was conquered by Kingdom of England1283 CE
More states of British Isles →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Wales. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-wales
- MLA
- “Principality of Wales.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-wales. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Wales.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-wales.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Wales’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-wales (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻